Mesoweb Articles Natural Hazards and the Cultural Heritage of : An Overview from the Vantageof the Quirigua Archaeological Park1

José Crasborn Ministry of Culture and Sports Hardany Navarro National Commission for the Reduction of Disasters

Introduction The Physical Environment of Guatemala Guatemala boasts a unique and varied cultural Guatemala’s natural territory covers 108,889 kmô heritage, not only in terms of the number of sites and is bordered to the north and west by , and artifacts, but also its nearly four thousand to the east by the (), years of history. The geographical and geological , , and , and to the conditions of our country, while providing the south by the Pacific Ocean. Guatemala extends defining characteristics of its physical environment, from 13º 44’ to 18º 30’ North latitude, and from also put the population and cultural heritage at 87º 24’ to 92º 14’ West longitude (Piedra Santa constant risk, with frequent natural disasters such 1996:1-2) (Figure 1). Guatemala can be divided into as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, three geographical and archaeological regions: and catastrophic flooding. These types of natural the Pacific Coast, the Highlands or Altiplano, events have increased in recent years, not only in their frequency but also in their magnitude, as influenced by climate change. This has forced us to become aware of the effect and impact of human activity on our natural environment and the resultant natural disasters, and it highlights the need to more effectively protect this environment on which human lives and our infrastructure and cultural heritage depend. Guatemala has suffered natural disasters on many occasions and there is much evidence of this at the archaeological site of Quirigua, an ancient located in the northeast of the country of Guatemala. Situated next to the , near the point where it leaves the highlands and enters a flooplain before emptying into the Caribbean Sea, Quirigua’s location has left it vulnerable to hurricanes and flooding, as well as earthquakes given that the Motagua River follows an active tectonic fault line. This article presents evidence of the types of damage and losses that Quirigua has suffered due to these types of extreme events, especially those caused by hydrometeorological factors.

1 This paper was first presented at the Central American Seminar on the Conservation and Enhancement of Cultural Figure 1. Map of Guatemala and its territorial extent (by Heritage, Guatemala and El Salvador, May, 2011. J. Crasborn).

2011 Mesoweb: www.mesoweb.com/articles/Quirigua/Crasborn-Navarro-2011.pdf. Natural Hazzards and the Cultural Heritage of Guatemala 2

The Cultural Heritage of Guatemala and Threats from Natural Disasters We use the term “cultural heritage” to refer to those material assets (both movable and fixed), customs, and traditions of a country, which have special value (archaeological, historical, artistic, or spiritual) and help strengthen national identity. In the case of Guatemala, this heritage is quite large, being the result of a variety of historical processes that span a period of almost 4000 years. The cultural heritage of any country is at risk of damage and destruction from human sources, both accidental and intentional (Figure 4), as well as natural factors, including the sun, wind, and others (Figures 5). As these risks have been discussed in detail by other authors, this paper does not concentrate on them. It should be noted that natural damage can occur and be accelerated by various causes, among which are climate change and global warming. Guatemala, due to its geographical location and geological situation, is subject to frequent earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, thunderstorms, landslides, and catastrophic Figure 2. Mountain ranges of Guatemala (from Piedra flooding, all of which have claimed human lives, Santa 1996:22). inflicted massive economic losses, and caused damage to the nation’s infrastructure and property. This has been the case ever since Guatemala’s and the Lowlands in the north. Each of these Colonial period, exemplified in the mudflow from zones features topography that rises from sea the Agua volcano in 1541 that forced the movement level to as high as 4000 meters above sea level, of the capital from the valley of Almolonga to that and each is characterized by distinctive climates of Panchoy, and subsequently the 1773 earthquake and vegetation (Dengo 1999:51-53; Piedra Santa 1996:1-2) (Figure 2). Administratively Guatemala is divided into eight regions, which are composed of 22 departments and further subdivided into 333 municipalities. In only three of these municipalities have no archaeological materials been found, and it is likely that this reflects a lack of investigation rather than a true lack of material evidence of ancient human occupation (Figure 3). According to data compiled by the Department of Prehispanic and Colonial Monuments (DEMOPRE) of the General Directorate of Cultural and Natural Heritage of Guatemala, there are at least 2200 archaeological sites in the country that date to the Prehispanic epoch, from 2000 bc until ad 1524, which must be added to the numerous monuments, houses, and churches from the Colonial (ad 1524-1821), Republican (ad 1821-1898) and Contemporary (ad 1898-1944) periods. While this presents Guatemala with a truly enviable wealth of archaeological and historical materials, it also presents a problem, given the truly enormous task of policing, maintaining, and protecting all of Figure 3. Political and regional divisions of Guatemala these sites and artifacts. (from Piedra Santa 1996:3). Natural Hazzards and the Cultural Heritage of Guatemala 3

Figure 4. Anthropogenic damage to monuments: graffito on Stela A of Quirigua (photo: M. Díaz, 2009).

Figure 5. Damage from natural sources: eroded stone wall at (photo: J. Crasborn, 2010). Natural Hazzards and the Cultural Heritage of Guatemala 4 that forced another movement into the Valley of must be the guarantor of the implementation of La Ermita, where the capital remains at present this policy and at the same time the location where (Gellert 1994:3). Apart from these one cannot forget the diverse actions on this theme are unified, in to mention the tragic 1976 earthquake, which order to permit its future updating within the not only resulted in terrible destruction but also national and international contexts. It should be sparked an inventory and assessment of damage noted that the underlying goal of this policy is to Prehispanic and Colonial archaeological sites by based upon the desire to safeguard human life and UNESCO, the General Directorate of Cultural and prevent and ameliorate the effects on communities National Heritage of Guatemala, and the National and settlements of natural disasters, which are also Council for the Protection of Antigua, Guatemala. the cause of great economic losses to the country As well as providing a description of damages, and threaten the safe and sustainable development this report also included a list of technical needs of the nation. and their costs in order to repair the damages and guard against further deterioration (UNESCO Stages and Phases of Disasters 1985:26-49). It is important to note that in Guatemala There is a general recognition of a cyclical there are laws governing archaeological research sequence of interrelated stages called the “Cycle and the cataloguing of artifacts, which include of Disasters,” the stages of which are: prevention, penalties for damages to the national heritage. mitigation, preparedness, warning, response, However, there are still no specific national rehabilitation, and reconstruction. Originally laws, regulations, or a manual of procedures to “development” was considered a separate stage be followed in the case of damage from natural but has now been considered as integral to all other disasters, although many sites and museums stages. Development is seen as the cumulative and have their own contingency plans for disaster durable increase in the quality and quantity of prevention and reduction. The government did goods, services, and resources of a country and its establish the National Commission for Disaster people, coupled with social changes, with the aim Reduction (CONRED), which was created in of improving and maintaining safety and quality in 1969 following Hurricane Francelia. This of life without compromising resources for future organization is dedicated not only to responding generations. Therefore, the sequence mentioned to natural disasters but also to their prevention above, in order to effectively manage disasters, and minimization, through monitoring at-risk is designed to: prevent disasters, mitigate loss areas, the provision of an early warning system, in the event of disasters, prepare for probable and training. This institution prepared the consequences of disasters, warn of an imminent National Policy to Reduce the Risk of Disasters event, and respond to and recover quickly from in Guatemala, which was adopted by the national disasters. Tasks are carried out in three phases, government in December, 2010. It is the result corresponding to before, during, and after of interagency work between several different disasters. institutions and organizations, both public and private, under the coordination of the Executive Phases of Disaster Secretariat of the National Coordinator for Before: Pre-disaster activities (stages) include Disaster Reduction (SE-CONRED). prevention, litigation, preparation, and alert. By instituting a National Policy to Reduce Prevention: the goal of this stage is to prevent the Risk of Disasters, Guatemala is carrying out disasters from striking. Litigation attempts to Priority 1 of the Hyogo Framework for Action: minimize the impact of disasters, keeping in “Ensure that disaster risk reduction is a national mind that at times this is impossible. Preparation and a local priority with a strong institutional basis structures the response. Alert is the formal for implementation,” which requires the existence declaration of approaching or immediate of a national policy framework for disaster risk occurrence. reduction, including plans and activities at all During: Disaster response activities (steps) are administrative levels, from national to local. The carried out immediately after the event occurs, implementation of this policy is of vital significance during the emergency period. These activities and highlights the importance of cooperation may include evacuation, search and rescue, and across public and private lines, involving both healthcare, all performed during the time when civil society and international support. All of these the community is disorganized and basic services play a role in institutionalizing and strengthening are not functioning. In most disasters this period is a culture of disaster prevention and resilience. The short, except in such cases as drought, famine, and National Table of Dialogue to Reduce Disaster Risk civil strife. It is the most dramatic and traumatic, Natural Hazzards and the Cultural Heritage of Guatemala 5

Figure 6. Map showing location of Quirigua (by F. Tello, 2009). which necessitates the focusing of attention by the the coordinates 15 16’ 10” North Latitude and 89 media and the international community. 02’ 25” West Longitude, and located at an elevation After: Post-disaster activities (stages) that of 75 meters above sea level (Figure 6). correspond generally to the recovery process This ancient Maya city was located on the include the following. Rehabilitation: a transitional northern bank of the Motagua River, and covers period that begins at the end of the response 10 km within the valley of the same name. The phase, which establishes, at least short-term, city was founded in ad 426 as a colony of Copan basic services. Reconstruction consists of the (Honduras), which was responsible for the control repair of infrastructure and medium- or long- of products and consumer goods such as jade, term restoration of the production system, in obsidian, quetzal feathers, and basalt. It would order to meet or exceed the pre-disaster level of have been a crossroads for those traveling to the development. highlands of Guatemala or to the Caribbean coast. Over time, the governmental disaster reduction Without a doubt this privileged position along institution has not only become more professional, these trade routes had important consequences but also decentralized, and there are now offices in for the inhabitants of the city and their history, as each of Guatemala’s Departments, facilitating the archaeologists continue to investigate and uncover treatment and prevention of disasters. Likewise, today. the government has developed manuals of The earliest reference to Quirigua dates from procedures and has signed agreements with other the late eighteenth century, when around 1798 Don nations in , as well as coordinating Juan Payes y Font acquired some land east of the responses with them. town of , extending to the Motagua River, where he would later, in the company of his children, discover the site and its monuments Case Study: Quirigua Archaeological Park (Ponciano et al. 2008:100). Many years would pass, Quirigua Archaeological Park is located in however, before this discovery reached a wide northeastern Guatemala, in the municipality of audience. This occurred when John L. Stephens Los Amates, and the department of Izabal, bearing published his famous Incidents of Travel in Central Natural Hazzards and the Cultural Heritage of Guatemala 6

Figure 7. Aerial photograph of Quirigua (courtesy of Registro de Información Catastral, 2009).

America, , and Yucatan in 1841, in which the surrounding land and its transformation for appeared a brief description of the site and its the intensive production of bananas and cattle. monuments and the first drawings of a few of its Today the archaeological park is one of the last stelae (Stelae E and F) (Stephens 1841:129). This remnants of subtropical rainforest in the Motagua book inspired the British explorer Alfred Maudslay Valley, and thus has an important natural as well to make several trips to the site between 1881 and as cultural function (Figure 7). As a result of the 1884, and his investigations are considered the first deforestation necessary for this agricultural scientific research to be carried out at Quirigua. development, the park’s cultural and natural assets Maudslay’s work included various activities, but are at greater threat, and conservation has become it is notable that he reported that he was unable to more problematic. At the same time, it presents locate all of the mounds and monuments described an environment more similar to that in existence by Stephens, something that he attributed to a during Quirigua’s Classic-period apogee, and major of the site in 1852, as reported by so the vulnerability of the site today to natural Schetz in 1854 (Maudslay 1889-1902:4:1-6). disasters, such as flooding from the Motagua River After these early reports there was growing and the geological fault that underlies this area is interest in the site, and so beginning in 1910 the not a novel situation in the history of the site. School of American Archaeology and later the Robert Sharer (1990:76) has argued that from Carnegie Institution of Washington undertook a the first reports on Quirigua no author noted any series of investigations, which would ultimately remaining stone roofs at the site, and archaeological extend until 1934 (Morley 1936:6-15). One of the research has since confirmed that all of the most significant achievements of this era is that buildings at the site built with stone vaults had in 1910 the United Fruit Company of the United collapsed in ancient times, perhaps from seismic States, which had acquired the land from Mr. activity (Figure 8). Sharer has pointed out that Payes, set aside 34 hectares of the property as the presence of buttresses at the base of the main a natural and cultural reserve, and this became buildings in the site center is a clear example of the core of today’s archaeological park. It is the kind of modification performed by the ancient noteworthy that since 1910 the park has remained Maya to respond to earthquakes and prevent risk almost unchanged, despite the development of of collapse (Figure 9). Natural Hazzards and the Cultural Heritage of Guatemala 7

Figure 8. Remaining vault of Structure 1B-4 of Quirigua (photo: J. Crasborn, 2010).

Figure 9. Buttress added to reinforce the walls of Structure 1B-3 of Quirigua (photo J. Crasborn, 2009). Natural Hazzards and the Cultural Heritage of Guatemala 8

Meanwhile, Sharer (1990:105-106) and Jones, monuments and structures, but damage occurred Sharer, and Paredes (2008:4) indicate that based on to the park’s infrastructure and 0.20 m of sediment their excavations in the 1970s, which uncovered was deposited across the site (Figure 11). massive alluvial deposits in excavations across the site, at the end of the Early Classic period Preventative Measures: Short, Medium, and (ca. A.D 550) the site suffered one or more severe Long Term . This flooding interrupted the site’s history, It is clear that Quirigua was and remains a place that and it appears not to have recovered its earlier has always been subject to natural disasters, and prosperity until the mid-seventh century, when has perhaps paid a high price for the privilege of the city resumed production of new monuments controlling one of the most important trade routes and construction of new structures. The ancient of the Prehispanic era. And while it is impossible to Maya would have been well familiar with such predict when a may occur, there are phenomena, and David Stuart (2001) and Stephen various actions that can be undertaken to minimize Houston (2006) have identified hieroglyphs that the impact these have on the archaeological site. At refer to events such as earthquakes, hurricanes, Quirigua the first such step was provided in 2008 and floods in Classic-period inscriptions. when the Ministry of Culture and Sports presented In recent years Quirigua has been hit at the park management plan. This plan includes 23 different times by various natural disasters. A goals for research, protection, and conservation of severe flood occurred in 1946, but no scientific the site and park, including a contingency plan. data on this event were recorded. The next disaster With the support of the Royal Embassy of the came thirty years later, with the earthquake of Netherlands, this document was drawn up in 2009, February 4, 1976, which was a 7.5 magnitude on but human and economic factors have prevented the Richter scale. This earthquake caused damage the full implementation of the plan. This has to the buildings of the Acropolis and caused some been one of the greatest advances in establishing minor damage to Stelae H and J, which had been coordination with other institutions such as the restored in the 1930s by the Carnegie Institution. National Commission for Disaster Reduction Infrastructure at the site suffered little damage, (CONRED), the National Commission of Protected however (Bevan and Sharer 1983:110-117). Despite Areas (CONAP), the municipality of Los Amates, the risks to which the park of Quirigua is subject, in and the Bandegua company. 1981 UNESCO decided to award the title of World As mentioned above, Quirigua is susceptible Heritage site, due to the size and artistic quality of to many types of disasters, and it is very difficult its monuments, which deserve to be preserved for to take measures to protect the monuments future generations. against such events as earthquakes. In the case In August of 1989 a strong hurricane hit the of hurricanes, the only measure that has been park, felling many trees, and while no damage successfully implemented is the regulation of to buildings or monuments occurred, a guard shade or the removal of branches from trees close was killed by a falling branch. Later, on October to monuments, restored architecture, and public 31, 1998, Tropical Storm Mitch hit Quirigua and use areas, in order to avoid any damage that would the attendant flooding of the Motagua River laid occur from their collapse. With regard to flooding, a layer of sediment up to a meter thick over the an ambitious project has been initiated that will site. The Ministry of Culture and Sports, with the take time to achieve full results. During Tropical support of UNESCO, removed this sediment and Storm Agatha, for example, it was noted that the cleaned the site, and fortunately the monuments perimeter mesh fence functioned as a sieve, not and structures of the site were not damaged from allowing much organic material (e.g., branches) this flooding. More recently, on April 17, 2010, to enter the stream and be carried to other sectors. the park was subjected to another hurricane, and For this reason, among others, there are plans severe winds caused significant damage to the to strengthen the perimeter fence of the park by forest in the park, with the loss of more than 100 building a “living fence” of trees and plants along trees of different species. The Ministry of Culture the inner side of the metal fence, aiming to reduce and Sports directed cleanup efforts, and once again further the amount of debris that may enter the no monuments or structures were affected, with park during a flood. The Bandegua company has only modern touristic infrastructure suffering any begun the work of strengthening the banks of damage (Figure 10). Finally, as happened in 1998, the Motagua River and has supported the idea of on May 31, 2010, caused a living fence and may build a second one on its another flood, which again did not affect the site’s land surrounding Quirigua, which would function Natural Hazzards and the Cultural Heritage of Guatemala 9

Figure 10. Hurricane damage from April, 2010, caused by the collapse of the thatch shelter over Quirigua Stela A (photo: J. Crasborn, 2010).

Figure 11. Mud covering Zoomorph O in 2010, the result of flooding at Quirigua from Tropical Storm Agatha (photo: by J. Crasborn, 2010). Natural Hazzards and the Cultural Heritage of Guatemala 10

Figure 12. Damage caused by Tropical Storm Agatha in the storage building constructed in 2000 (photo: by J. Crasborn, 2010). to create a buffer zone between its property and believed this was adequate for future flooding, that of the park. but Tropical Storm Agatha in 2010 proved that Another major aspect is the protection of this height was too low, causing further damage information and assets that are safeguarded within (Figure 12). the park, such as documentation, equipment For this reason another storage building is and tools, and most importantly the collection planned, to be built on two levels, where the first of archaeological materials. What follows is a level will consist of a series of columns 2.5 meters in summary of events that have occurred at Quirigua, height, properly distributed in order to withstand in order to illustrate our proposals for the protection the impacts of future floods and earthquakes. of these assets in the future. Artifact storage will take place on the upper floor, During the archaeological research of the leaving the lower level as a workplace for the University of Pennsylvania in the 1970s, a camp analysis of archaeological materials (Figure 13). The was built at ground level to be used as a laboratory government of Japan had planned on financially and warehouse of archaeological materials, which supporting the construction of this building, but remained until 1998 when Tropical Storm Mitch unfortunately the catastrophic earthquake and flooded the park. At this time water and mud tsunami this nation faced in March of 2011 has entered the building and covered and undermined forced it to redirect these funds to its own recovery many of the shelving units, causing considerable and rebuilding effort, and Guatemala is still in the damage to archaeological materials in storage, process of trying to acquire funding for this new as well as the loss of identification codes and the construction. mixing of materials, with the result that much Finally, another major challenge that remains of the original context and provenience of these is to adapt the existing infrastructure, such as the artifacts was lost. Because of this situation, in visitors’ center and other areas within the park, 2000 the Ministry of Culture and Sports began in order to make them less susceptible to damage construction of a new storage building, taking into in future natural disasters, and protect human account future flooding by constructing the floor lives, park infrastructure, and the monuments and 0.50 meters above ground level. At the time it was structures of the ancient city of Quirigua. Natural Hazzards and the Cultural Heritage of Guatemala 11

Figure 13. A sketch of the proposed new storage building for Quirigua (drawing by D. Gonzáles, 2010).

Final Comments Houston, Stephen 2006 Hurricane! Mesoweb: www.mesoweb.com/articles/ Climate change and its effects are a phenomenon houston/Hurricane.pdf we are experiencing today, and the fear of new natural disasters continues and has increased Jones, Christopher, Robert Sharer, and Federico Paredes thanks to popular films and pseudoscientific 2008 Excavaciones en la Acrópolis de Quiriguá, Guatemala: Reconstrucción de seis etapas evolutivas. Paper presented publications, which often depict an impending at the VI Mesa Redonda de , Palenque, Mexico. apocalyptic end to humanity, such as the hype around the completion of the thirteenth baktun Maudslay, Alfred Percival of the Maya Long Count calendar (concluding a 1889-1902 Biologia Centrali-Americana. 4 vols. Porter and period of roughly 5200 years). While many of these Dulau, . depictions are quite fanciful, they are not entirely Ponciano, Erick, Claudia Santizo, Dominique Chang, and Ilse without a basis in reality, and, as we have seen, the Estrada, eds. risk of loss of human lives and damage to national 2007 Plan de manejo 2008-2012 Parque Arqueológico Quiriguá. heritage sites from natural disasters is only too PROCORBIC; DGPCN; Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes real. (MICUDE), Guatemala. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the risks Piedra Santa A., Julio for each particular site and establish contingency 1996 Geografía visualizada de Guatemala. Editorial Piedra Santa measures for the short, medium, and long term. S.A., Guatemala. This also requires the establishing of partnerships in order to exchange experiences and coordinate Sharer, Robert J. measures to tackle the challenge of protecting and 1990 Quiriguá: A Classic Maya Center and its Sculptures. preserving the cultural heritage of Guatemala from Carolina Academic Press, Durham. future disasters. Stephens, John L. 1841 Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas, and Yucatan. References 2 Vols. Harper and Brothers, New York.

Dengo, Gabriel Stuart, David 1999 El medio físico de Guatemala. In Historia general de 2001 Earthquake! Mesoweb: www.mesoweb.com/stuart/ Guatemala, Vol. 1: Época precolombina, edited by M. notes/earthquake.html Popenoe de Hatch, pp. 51-85. Asociación Amigos del País, Fundación para la Cultura y el Desarollo, Guatemala. UNESCO 1985 Guatemala destrucción de sus monumentos por el terremoto Gellert, Gisela de 1976. UNESCO and Instituto de Antropología e 1994 Ciudad de Guatemala: Factores determinantes en Historia (IDAEH), Consejo Nacional para la Protección su desarrollo urbano (1775 hasta la actualidad). In de la Antigua Guatemala (CNPAG). Editorial Delgado Mesoamérica 27, Año 15, Cuaderno 27: 1-68. Impresos y Compañia Limitada, Guatemala.